Device for delivering gaseous fluid under pressure.



C. A. CLAFUN. DEVICE FOR DELIVEHING GASEOUS FLUID UNDER PRESSURE.APPLICATIQN FILED ocT.19,19|2.

1,1 90,60., Patented July 1I, 1916.

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CHARLES A. CLAFLIN, 0F MEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS.

DEVICE FOR DELVERING GASEOUS FLUID UNDER PRESSURE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

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Application filed October 19, 1912. Serial No. 726,761.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that l, CHARLES A. CLArLrN, a citizen of the United States,and resident of Medford, in the county of Middlesex and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful improvements inDevices for Delivering Gaseous Fluid Under Pressure, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to devicesfor delivering steam or other gaseousfluid under pressure in a forcible jet adapted for vari! means wherebythe valve may be held openvv manually to enable the blast to be-directedat will.

Another obj ect is to vprovide means Whereby the weight of the devicemay be counterbalanced to facilitateits use in connection with varioustubes of a boiler.

Another object is toprovi de means whereby the device can beconveniently manipulated by means of a handle affixed thereto at eitherone of a plurality of angles.

Further objects are to provide improvements which will be hereinafterexplained.

To these ends the invention consists in the construction and combinationof parts substantially as hereinafter described and claimed.

Of the accompanying drawings; Figure 1 represents a side elevation of adevice embodying my improvements; Fig. 2 is a plan view of thetelescopically connected members of the device Von a larger scale thanFig. 1; Fig. 3 represents a section on line 3 3 of Fig. 2, the valvebeingclosed; Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, illustrating thepositions ofthe parts when the valve is open; Fig. 5 is a front endview; Fig. 6 represents a section on line 6-6 of Fig. 3; Fig. 7represents a section on line 7-7 of Fig. 3; Fig. 8 represents a sectionon line 8-8 of Fig. 4; Fig. 9 is a view similar to a portion` of Fig. 3,but illustrating a modification hereinafter described.

Similar reference characters represent the same or similar parts in allofthe figures.

The conduit includes a tubular section 12 connected at its inner end toafitting 13, having an elbow-shaped portion to which a flexible steamsupply pipe or hose 14 may be connected in any suitable or preferredmanner, the other end of the hose 14being provided withy a coupling 15for connection to a source of supply of steam or other fluid underpressure. A'handle 16 for manipulatingv thedevice is shown as providedwith hand grips 17, 18, similar to the structure in said Patent 913,260.v

My improved fitting 13 has the steam passage 19 separated by a curvedwall from the diverging handle sockets 20, 21, the socket 20 beingstraight to venablethe handle 16 to extend in line with the tubularsection 12 for convenient use when the tubes to be cleaned are at a lowlevel. When the higher tubes are to be reached the handle 16 can bescrewed into the socket 20 so that the operator will not need to standon a platform.

Connected to the outer end ofthe section 12 is a tubular section22having a transverse end wall 23, adjacent which are lateral ports 24..Said section 22 is provided with an externally threadedsection 25 to.which is fitted the sleeve or hub of the valve 26. Fitted to slide onthe section 22 is an outer tubular section 27 having a stuffing box-28at one end and a valve seat 26a at its other end (see Fig..4) tocoperate with thevalve 26, as illustrated by comparing Figs. 3 and 4.The section 22 adjacent the ports 24 is reduced in diameter to form anannular chamber 29, the ends of whichare defined by an outer end wall 30of the section `27 and the inner wall or shoulder 31 ofthe section 22,said chamber lengthening and contracting as the parts slide or telescopeone upon the other, said chamber admitting steam, Awhichso acts thereinas to tend to normally holdthe valve seated or closed. i

The front end of the section 27 is externally threaded. Mounted thereonis the chamber 32 having hollow arms 33, said two arms converging at thenipple 34. rlhese hollow arms permit the passage of steam, as indicatedby arrows in Fig. 4, and the valve is opened by pushing the section 22forwardly,as illustrated by comparing Figs. 3 and 4. A spring 35 ismounted on studs 36, one of which projects forwardly from the end wall23 of the section 22 and the other projecting rearwardly from the wallof the converging arms 33. Said spring 35 merely holds the valveyieldingly on its seat to protect it from injury when not in use, thevalve being normally held against its seat by steam pressure acting asdescribed against the shoulders 30, 31. It will be seen that thislocation'and mounting of the spring is such that it in no way interfereswith the passage of steam, and it is accessible for removal if, in caseof breakage or for any other reason, it is desired to replace one springby another.

' The steam nozzle 37 has its socket 38 fitted to the nipple 34, andsaid nozzle is externally threaded to receive the hub 39 of the skeletonhead, the arms 40 of which extend substantially radially from the huband then converge, as shown byv comparing Figs. 3 and 5. Preferablythere are three of the arms 40 and they are externally tapered so as toadapt them to fit the end of a boiler tube of any size within the limitsprescribed by the sizeof the device. The construction is such thattapering passages are formed between the arms for the flow of airinduced by the blast of steam or other fluid through the nozzle 37. Thenozzle 37 isaxially in line with the center of the space between thearms 40 so that the supply of steam will always be exactly at the centerof the tube end. Owing to the external! tapering form of the arms andthe fact that the openings or spaces between them are tapering, the areafor the passage of air increases in accordance with the size of the tubethat is to be cleaned, because the larger the tube the farther in theAskeleton head can be inserted, resulting in` bringing larger airinduction areas in proximity to the entrance end of the said tube to becleaned.

' The operation of the devicewis practically the same as explained insaid Patent 913,260, viz. byv simple pressure of the handle after theskeleton head has been placed in proper position, such pressure openingthe valve to the position shownV in Fig. 4. Sometimes, however, it isdesired to blow soot olf the tube sheet, or to use the cleaner forpurposes where no surface is .presented against which the skeleton headcan be placed. To enable the valve to be'opened at such time, I providea'handle or pull-bar 41, which for convenience is carried by one of thearms 40.

Said pull-bar 4lis separated from the steam nozzle and can be grasped bythe operator without discomfort, the skeleton head and the members atthe rear thereof being drawn backwardly so as to open the valve.

The tting 13 is'shown as provided with an'eye'42 lto venable aVcounterbalancing desuch a counterbalancing device may consist of a cordor chain connected to the eye 42 and passing over a pulley, said cord orchain having a weight which will sufficiently counterbalance the weightof the entire device to enable it to be conveniently manipulated.

The section 22 is shown as formed with a hole having a plug 43 which maybe removed whenever it is desired to lubricate the device by oildeposited through said hole. The

steam passing through the section 22 will' distribute the oil sodeposited, to the sur faces which slide relatively to each other duringthe telescopic action of the device.

yAs stated, the skeleton head preferably has three arms 40, but it mayhave only two, as indicated in Fig. 9, which two will be diametricallyopposite each other. Instead of making the skeleton head and nozzle andchamber 32 in separate parts connected together, they may be formed inone casting, `as shown in Fig. 9.

The supply of the steam through a single jet in line with the center ofthe space between the tapering arms, as shown, provides a structurewhich is absolutely unobstructed by baiiie plates or other impedimentaand tends to create and maintain a considerable vacuum immediatelysurrounding the point of steam discharge into the tube. The very largeopenings through which an almost unlimited volume of air is permitted toHow into the tube behind the steam not only supplies relief to thevacuum caused by the steam but forms a densely crowded swab-likecurrent, which travels so swiftly as to dislodge and carry with it everyparticle of soot.

It will be observed that the section 27 carries the arms 33 and that thestructure permits of a relative sliding movement between the saidsection and its arms and the valve 2G, the said valve being supportedwithin and guided by said section 27 and its arms. leaving` a spacebeyond said valve 26 and between said valve and the point where the arms33 converge, which space is open to the atmosphere and contains thespring` 35. The spring therefore is so exposed to the atmosphere thatthere is no liability of its temper being drawn by the heat of thesteam.

Referring to Fig. 4, the pipe or tube indicated by dotted lines is oneof the large sizes with which the device shown is de` signed to be used.In other words, the device has its arms 40 so inclined or tapered, andso spaced apart, that the device can be used to clean a tube of a sizewhich will just barely admit the extreme ends of the arms, or a tuberelatively as large as indicated in Fig. 4, or perhaps slightly larger.In any event it is not designed to use a device having arms of a givensize in connection with a tube so large as to admit the arms far enoughto permit the nozzle 37 to approach the end of the tube much closer thansho-wn in Fig. 4. This is for the reason that if the end of the nozzlewere to pass into or nearly into the end of the tube, its presence inthat location would form an obstruction to the admission of the properrelative volume of air. By holding the nozzle at such a distance fromthe end of the tube as to insure the provision of a space for theinduction of the proper amount or volume of air, I am able to secureadvantageous results because the moment that the steam valve is openedby the thrusting of the device to position, the instant rush of steaminduces a swiftly traveling rush of air which effects a quick andpowerful blow;

The arms 40 are hooked or composed of inner portions radiating from thenozzle and outer portions angularly arranged relatively to the innerportions, the outer portions being extended forward and converging topoints in advance of the nozzle. The arms are separated from each otherthroughout their entire length so that their surfaces coperate with theperiphery of the nozzle and the mouth of the tube in which the arms areinserted, in forming relatively large unobstructed ducts permittingcorrespondingly large streams of air to flow undeflected along theperiphery of the nozzle and into the tube, the volume of said streamsbeing limited only by the diameter of the tube and the cross sectionalareas of the nozzle and arms. The amount of air admitted to a relativelylarge tube is therefore greater than the volume admitted to a smallertube.

I claim:

1. A device of the character described, comprising a telescopic conduithaving a valve mechanism, a chamber provided with arms having passagesfor fluid passing the valve mechanism, said arms converging and having adelivery nozzle, and a spring mounted between said arms and coperatingwith the members of the telescopic conduit to hold the valve closed.

2. A device of the character described, comprising a conduit having adelivery head at one end and a fitting for the connectionof a iiuidsupply tube at the other end, said fitting having two diverging handlesockets, one of said sockets being in alinement with the conduit, thepassage for the fluid through said fitting being separated from saidsockets by a curved wall.

3. A device of the character described,

' comprising a valved conduit, a chamber secured to said conduit, sai'dchamber having arms provided with fluid passages, a nozzle fordelivering fluid from said passages, and tapering arms for. locating thedevice relatively to a tube, said arms extending beyond the delivery endof the nozzle.

t. A device of the character described, comprising a stream-deliveringnozzle, and a plurality of hooked arms having inner portions radiatingfrom said nozzle and outer portions extended to points in advance of thenozzle and converging from their junction with the inner portions topresent inclined backs adapted to enter and bear on the mouth of a tube,said arms being separated from each other along their entire length, sothat their surfaces coperate with the periphery of the nozzle and themouth o-f said tube in forming relatively large `unobstructed ductspermitting correspondingly large streams of air to flow undeilectedlengthwise of the nozzle and into the tube, the volume of said streamsbeing limited only by the diameter of the tube and the cross sectionalareas of the nozzle and arms.

In testimony whereof I have aiiixed my signature, in presence of twowitnesses.

CHARLES A. CLAFLIN. Vitnesses:

A. W. HARRISON, l?. W. Pnzzn'r'ri.

Copies of this patent may 'be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

